How Sledgehammer Games can improve Ranked Play in Advanced Warfare

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare features the Ranked Play playlist, which was a big fan request. Sledgehammer Games delivered a playlist for the competitive fans that wanted a ranked based playlist, that was separate from public matches, but there’s a lot that they can do to improve this playlist. Sledgehammer Games has tried a little too hard to merge the casual and competitive community together with Advanced Warfare, and it’s not working for either communities. Keeping the two separate works best – as demonstrated by Black Ops 2.

Here’s some of the ways we feel that Sledgehammer can improve the Ranked Play experience:

SHGames needs to make Ranked Play a separate menu in Multiplayer. It needs to be separated out – with it’s own create a class, and own menu screens. Doing this allows for classes to be made tailored to Ranked Play play style. In addition, all of the items need to be unlocked regardless of levels. That makes the playing field fair, unlike how it currently is.

Rule set: the current rule set is a good start for eSports, but there’s one thing they should change: ban supply drop-based custom weapons. As Sledgehammer Games have said themselves, supply drops are random. As such, many players don’t have the best ASM1 or the best BAL. Restricting those would make it an even playing field as all players now have access to the same weapons – regardless of your supply drop variants.

Probation Time: Michael Condrey has confirmed that this is coming and that’s the right step forward. Too many players keep leaving out of matches, and even though you do lose double points, there’s no in-game message or alert that says that. Many players don’t even realize that they are being penalized for leaving a match, so they leave freely. A probation time and in-game message alert would help reduce the number of rage quitters dramatically.

Display ranks in the lobbies – this isn’t a major feature, but it’s something that does help players know who they’re up against.

Better communication: this is a big one for those on Xbox 360 and PS3. Ranked Play is full of bugs on these two platforms, and it’s still Season 0 on those. Plus, the two last-gen consoles are still a month behind in in-game feature updates (there’s still no daily challenges, etc.) and there’s still no indication as to when Season 1 or the updates will come. Considering the fact that the NPD data says the Xbox 360 version was the most sold version, there needs to be more open communication on updates for those players as well.

The reason why Black Ops 2 was so successful and continues to be successful (player counts hit 160k some days) is because Treyarch didn’t force eSports and casual together. League Play was completely separate mode for those who wanted to play, and the regular matches were catered to casual playing style. Ranked Play is basically Call of Duty: Ghosts’s Clan vs. Clan mode, with just ranks and divisions. It doesn’t work as well as we expected it too. The best way to win is to not force competitive and casual gamers – it becomes a lose-lose situation when they do.

I don’t think we need to display ranks in lobbies. Maybe if the lobby locks when it picks the map and displays ranks, yeah. But a lot of people will quit out based on ranks because of intimidation. In Counter-Strike ranked, you don’t even know your teammates or opponents ranks until the end of the game, to thwart being intimidated or lowered morale if you’re going up against someone with a higher rank than you.

Bob

Dude you’re missing the point, ranked play should match you up against players within the same division. A master should never be put against a bronze, so maybe if they fixed the matchmaking intimidation would be a factor. Ranked play should be similar to LoL, it would be so much better.

Josh

I think you’re a little slow. Obviously they should be put up against similar ranks. I’m saying it doesn’t need to SHOW the rank before the game starts, or before the lobby locks. If you remember, in BO2 it didn’t show anyones GT or rank until the lobby locks, to make sure that people didn’t leave from being intimidated. I know there were ways to break lobbies but not everyone knew. I’m not saying a master should be against a bronze, I’m saying ranks shouldn’t be shown until the lobby locks/game starts.

Slothigans

Don’t you just hate it when people ask for likes on their comment?! Like if you agree!

Keshav Bhat

well, it’s technically called “Up vote.”

Sniper

upvote for upvote.

Slothigans

Same difference.

common sense

WAIT. so you mean to tell me you made a list for this? BUT NOT ON SBMM? TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Keshav you are such a troll and an idiot man. It’s honestly crazy. I literally think you are getting paid by activision now.

Keshav Bhat

Yeah, cause SHGames issued a statement on SBMM…now what’s there to report on it? Condrey posted his statement and how it all works. Us posting an article now won’t change anything.

Super029something

This comment isn’t funny on Youtube and it isnt funny here. GTFO.

Slothigans

I’m good.

Alejandro

This sounds perfect, oh and I don’t think you should be able to vote on the map, it should be like league play and be random/locked everytime.

Xx_COLSEY_xX

Well said!

Aavrey

nope, then you had bks who would just keep breaking the lobby until they got the 1 or 2 maps they mastered and boost to masters. people dont do that here because they allways get one of their maps. its sad, but theres nothing you can do

Freeze

Maybe a “How to Improve Public Play”? Like how they can make it less competitive/sweaty.

I have something else to add to the list. They need to get rid of clans playing against teams made up of solo players it becomes very annoying

drjakeyoung

I can’t believe you wrote all that without SBMM being mentioned. Kudos!

Keshav Bhat

(don’t know if this is a compliment or not..but..) That’s because Ranked Play has Skill Based Matchmaking and that SBMM is a big part of Ranked Play. There’s no need to remove SBMM from Ranked Play – it’s meant to be there!

drjakeyoung

Oh yea i know that, but i thought that when you said that both ranked and public are currently too similar that the SBMM subject was about to be mentioned!

jordanxbrookes

I agree, SBMM is a competitive matchmaking system that should be used in a competitive playlist such as Ranked Play. My issue is that it’s in Public Matches.

The only comment section where there’s no mention or hate towards SBMM.

VirtualDan

I agree on updates for the last gen. I haven’t got money for a ps4 yet but it is pretty bad that people.in ranked play are still doing The solar glitch I’ve lost nearly.every game on that map bcuz they haven’t patched it

Ak74u

I just saved my money for an xbone and have the money now so I’m getting it soon and I’ve been playing on last gen in the 360 the game is good but there needs to be updates and patches that current gen had so the game could play better. A lot of people including my self also don’t have enough for a next gen console so they can’t just forget about last gen and leave it with all the bad things

Stefan Lang

Yes they should fix all of this soon. I remember climbing the ranks solo go Master in BO2 everything just felt like it was done so right which is why League Play will forever remain superior.

Tom

How can they fix that lag fest what they call cod these days? That what i want to know. Everything else is irrelevant at this point.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS ARTICLE! You just said everything I’ve been thinking this whole time! Congrats on knocking it out of the park.

Louis

I think another point to add is the voting of maps. I hate how we get to vote for the next map and mode. I end up playing bio lab game after game. It should be random like bo2.

Fariko Lunatik

Not only does the season still say 0 for the 360 but your rank resets itself many times. I was in Gold and got to the win 2 out of 3 games to get promoted I won the first then got reset to bronze with no points same happened another time I was about to get into Gold and I have come on many times and my points have all gone. Surely it cant be hard just look at BO2 then do something similar please getting against a full team with all elite BAL and ASM1’s is getting annoying but everything in this article is true and hopefully they take note and fix this and maybe add a team ranking system like BO2

Xx_COLSEY_xX

There is no communication on PS3 in ranked play because i always get paired up with French or Germans. I don’t have a problem with either of them. It’s so annoying being teamed up with someone who doesn’t / can’t speak the same language as you!

meow

too little too late

Tricky VIk

“Amen.”

Ak74u

Will my progress on ranked play be lost? im on last gen 360 and it still says season zero and I wouldn’t want to restart as I am on gold division

Chris Rash

I quit every ranked match after 3 seconds of it starting & I will continue to do so. They want to screw over pub players I’ll screw over “l33ts”. Even with bans I’ll still do it.

Raines

So….you’re just a jerk in general? Check.

NeonPhyzics

there is nothing I can add because I violently agree with everything in this post!

Joe

been about 2 months now since this game came out and people still complaining and acting like fixing everything is easy and acting like they know how to make a game perfect, when they can’t even make one themselves. Every year its the same old bs with this community, we are a complex community with a lot of opinions but, we are not perfect, we are just human beings. So people need to stop bitching just cause a game has faults or bugs or maybe because it didn’t come out like you wanted it to… or maybe just maybe its because you’re terrible at playing the game…

whatever

what about when HOST MIGRATION happen sometimes it get’s aborted and kick the players out of the game and they lose points

Raines

Ok, I just played an entire night of Ranked only to lose every single game. Here is the problem. I was Platinum, almost to Diamond rank. EVERY SINGLE GAME, I am put on a team with all bronze while the other teams EVERY SINGLE GAME are at Diamond and above. What the heck? was something going on where the matchmaking was pitting as much bronze level players with Diamond and above last night? I wish they would show the players names and their Ranked level before the games start.

Raines

And people who back out of a game need to be restricted from Ranked play for more than the paultry 5 or 10 minutes. All they do is play a round of regular play and they are back to be a nuisance to players who enjoy ranked play. The time out needs to be at least an hour. The argument was made that, “what if someone has a bad connection and keeps getting booted off?” Well, then they shouldn’t be in ranked play because they’ll always get knocked down to bronze anyway. Sledgehammer. Please institute 1 hour time outs or longer for leavers.

Raines

Also institute a block method to avoid having to be put in Ranked games with players that back out or sabotage the game.